Best Grape Varieties for Scotland

Every grape here survives a Scottish winter. The real question is whether a variety ripens its fruit before autumn ends, and that splits them clearly: some crop outdoors, even on an open site, while others won't ripen without glass.

What Scotland means for the choice

All ten varieties below are rated H5The RHS's H1a–H7 scale for how much cold a plant can survive outdoors, H1a being tender indoor-only and H7 hardy anywhere in the UK. Full definition →: a dormant vine survives down to about -10 to -15°C, colder than most of Scotland gets. So winter cold doesn't separate them. What does is whether the growing season is long and warm enough to ripen a crop, which is the real Scottish constraint. Early ripening and disease resistance count most, since a short, damp season favours mildew. Further north, later-flowering varieties are the safer choice. A warmer, more sheltered spot anywhere in the country tips the odds towards the borderline varieties. The grape growing guide covers site, soil, planting, training and pruning.

All ten, side by side

Five of these hold the RHS Award of Garden Merit (AGM), a UK-wide award rather than a Scottish one. Don't read the award as meaning "greenhouse": Reliance and Schuyler hold it and crop outdoors, while Muscat of Alexandria holds it and won't.

The outdoor varieties

Rondo is bred for disease resistance and cold hardiness, which suits it to outdoor growing in northerly gardens. It gives high yields of blue-black grapes for wine, preserves or eating, ripening in late summer.

Solaris is early to mature and has some resistance to fungal disease. Both matter here: an early finish beats a short season, and mildew resistance helps in a damp one.

Reliance produces sweet, firm, red seedless dessert grapes in September, and is well suited to northern growers because it matures so quickly.

Schuyler, also sold as Boskoop Glory, is very cold-tolerant and grows outdoors in full sun with support, with no need for a warm wall. It gives large bunches of sweet, blue-black grapes for eating or wine.

Phoenix, Pinot Noir and Siegerrebe are the other outdoor choices. Phoenix is disease-resistant with good powdery mildew tolerance, ripening pale fruit in mid-autumn for wine or, left longer, for eating. Pinot Noir, the classic red wine grape, wants a sheltered south- or west-facing spot. Siegerrebe has an excellent Muscat flavour, but wasps take its ripe fruit readily, so plan to net it.

The varieties that need warmth or glass

Lakemont grows outdoors only in sheltered, warmer parts of the country. It has a good Muscat flavour on pale green seedless fruit; a south-facing brick or stone wall, which stores the day's heat, is the way to give it that warmth without a greenhouse.

Sovereign Coronation grows outdoors in full sun against a sheltered, warm wall, but in cold areas it needs a greenhouse or conservatory for a good crop. Its dark blue-purple fruit ripens quickly and has a sweet, musky flavour.

Muscat of Alexandria is hardy, but needs a greenhouse or conservatory with heat in autumn to produce a decent crop. It won't ripen outdoors.

A polytunnel is a cheaper way to give Sovereign Coronation or Muscat of Alexandria the warmth they need. Every variety here is self-fertileA plant that can set fruit using its own pollen, without needing a second, different variety nearby to cross-pollinate it. Full definition →, so a single vine crops on its own.

Other varieties worth trying

Poloske Muscat is a green grape that can be grown outdoors in most of the UK: it's mildew-resistant and crops heavily, with sweet fruit. Muscat Bleu is a near-black grape bred to be very disease-resistant and to produce high-quality fruit outdoors. Brant grows well outdoors and is very vigorousHow much a fruit tree's rootstock limits or allows its eventual size, from extremely dwarfing (smallest) through to very vigorous (largest). Full definition →, but it's grown more for its autumn colour than for eating quality. Muscat Saint Vallier is a self-fertile outdoor hybrid, better for eating than wine. For a greenhouse, Black Hamburg is the alternative to Muscat of Alexandria.

Pests and diseases

Powdery mildew, downy mildew and grey mould are the main grapevine diseases, and no variety resists all three, though Solaris and Phoenix have some resistance to fungal disease. Net against birds, which take ripe fruit from any variety. Brown rot and spotted wing drosophila affect ripening fruit of every kind.

Which one for your situation

• Open ground, no wall: Rondo.
• An AGM variety that still crops outdoors: Reliance or Schuyler.
• The shortest season: Solaris or Reliance, both quick to ripen.
• A warm, sheltered wall and the best flavour: Siegerrebe or Sovereign Coronation.
• A heated greenhouse or conservatory: Muscat of Alexandria.
• For wine: Rondo, Solaris, Schuyler, Phoenix or Pinot Noir, with Pinot Noir needing the most shelter.

Common questions

Sources